Crossing Paths
by Izout
Summary: Jane goes to Castle Rock for two weeks one summer expecting to be bored out of her skull. That's when she meets four boys. Will they change her life? Nope, not at all.


Disclaimer: Not mines, don't sue.

A/N: Not a parody actually, more like (How would you say it? Plausibility, realistically, believably?) what I think would actually happen if a girl did appear in Castle Rock and met the boys.

* * *

Jane MacHymer sighed as she dragged her suitcase to her cousin's room since she would be sleeping there. She then sat and on the bed and blew a strand of her brown hair off the bridge of her nose. The weird thing was Jane didn't even bring that many clothes. She stared around her cousin's room, taking in the scenery. It was a simple room: Bed, nightstand, book shelf, closet, and a window. It was boring.

"This is going to be a long two weeks." Jane groaned as she fell backwards onto the bed. "Of all the places to vacation in, why did Mom and Dad choose this place?" Jane asked no one in particular as she stared up at the ceiling. When her parents told her that they would all be going on a vacation, Jane was excited, thinking that they would take her to Cape Cod or Coney Island. Instead, it turned out they would actually being staying at her dad's sister place in his hometown of Castle Rock, Oregon for two weeks.

Not Jane's idea of fun.

"Hey Jay-Jay!" called out a scratchy voice from the doorway. Jane looked up and saw her nine year old cousin Scott standing in the doorway looking at her. "Aunt Doris wants you to come downstairs for a second." Doris was the name of Jane's mother.

"Scott, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'Jay-Jay'?" She rolled her eyes at him. She got her nickname, Jay-Jay, back when they were younger and they were picking berries in a grove. Some twigs with berries still attach to them got tangled up in her hair and a nearby blue jay kept swooping over her, trying to get the berries. And since then, Scott had been calling her Jay-Jay.

Getting up, Jane walked down the stairs and saw her mother, father, and aunt sitting in the living room drinking tea and catching up.

"Jane, straighten out your clothes, they're wrinkle." Mrs. MacHymer told her daughter. Jane let out a frustrated grunt as she smooth the wrinkles out. "And fix your hair, it's out of place."

"Now now Doris, it's nothing to make a big deal out of." Peggy explain to Doris, her sister-in-law. Jane's mother was someone who one would say is a bit on the controlling side. No, she wasn't overbearing or oppressing, she just like her daughter to look nice when out.

"Yes dear, we're on vacation." Chimed in Doris' husband and Jane's father, Howard.

"It's just-" Doris tried to start, but Peggy cut her off.

"Jane, why don't go pick us up some milk from the store just down the street? After the long car ride, I'm sure your legs could use some stretching." Peggy suggested to her. Jane's face dropped.

"Me? Why can't Scott do it?" Jane asked, pointing to herself, then over to Scott.

"Because Scott is still grounded after that stunt he pulled with Ms. O'Leary's pit bull." Peggy explains while giving her son a pointed look, who blushed and slinked away from the room. Shrugging her shoulder, Jane walked up to her aunt to get the dollar from her and walked out the door. The walk there was pretty uneventful; a couple of cars would speed pass her and she kept smacking her neck every time mosquitoes would land on it.

Eventually, she reached the store and walked in, looking around for the milk when she spotted it. She grabbed a bottle and went to the counter, before checking out the candy aisle, seeing if she had enough to get a chocolate bar. She did. So she purchase her items and left the store and just as she was about to make her way back, she heard the sound of glass clanking against the ground and muffle screams. Pausing, Jane went to investigate and saw at least five guys surrounding four boys, clearly younger then them, and pinning some against the wall and others on the ground.

"Howdy boys didn't think we run into you here." One of the guys, a tall guy with blond hair and a black shirt and blue jeans, said. From the way the other guys laugh at what he said and the way he stood, Jane guess he was the leader. "Didn't think we ever forget what you guys did, did you?"

"Funny, that's what your mom said last night." One of the boys snark. The blond snap his fingers and one of the other guys gave the kid a swift kick in the ribs.

"Man, fuck you Ace." One of the other boys said. _These guys are in trouble_, Jane thought to herself. She was about to step into the alley, call them out, and help them until her common sense kicked in, stopping her in her tracks. What in sweet Mother Mary's name was she thinking? She doesn't know these peoples, and those older guys look dangerous.

For all she knows, those older guys could be in the right to get them.

Thinking of a better alternative, Jane ran into the store the get help.

"Help! Mister, mister, there's some mean guys outside surrounding some little kids!" Jane explained to the cashier.

"Jesus, not this again," the cashier muttered under his breath as he step out and into the alley, telling those older guys to knock it out. The group paused for a minute before leaving. Jane watched from the opening in the alley, her body leaning against the wall. She watched as the cashier help the boys up, asked them if they were okay, and pointed over to her for some reason. Jane figured she had done enough and returned to her aunt's house.

* * *

Four days had passed since that whole incident and Jane was going through a stroll through the park when a voice caused her to stop.

"Hey, hey girl, wait up!" Pausing, Jane looked around and saw a rather large boy running towards her. She scrunched up, ready to make a run for it if came to it, but then she notice the boy looked vaguely familiar. "Hey, wait up; let me catch my breath first." Panted the chubby brown haired, blue eyed boy in a stripe short and tan pants.

This lasted three minutes before he spoke. "Sorry," the boy said, finally getting his breathing steady.

"Can I help you with something?" Jane asked him.

"Yeah, you're that girl from a few days ago? The one who help us with Ace's gang?" he asked her. Ace… one of those boys did call that blond guy 'Ace' so…. That's when it dawn on her.

"Oh my God, you're one of those boys from the alley!" Jane exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders and hopping up and down, then stop when she realize how silly it made her look and the odd look she was getting from the boy.

"Yeah, that cashier guy pointed you out, and when I saw you walking by, I just had to meet you." He said. "I wanted thank you for helping us out back there. That was real boss." Then he stuck out his hand for a handshake. "I'm Vern, by the way."

"Jane." She shook his hand in return.

"Hey, you want to meet my friends?" Vern asked her, his eyes twinkling in interest.

"Um… sure?" Jane answered as Vern grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her over across the park to three other boys standing under a tree.

"Hey guys, look, Verno finally gotten himself a girlfriend!" One of the boys called out, letting out a laugh that to Jane sounded like a hyena's laugh. "I feel sorry for the girl you manage to rope."

"Ha Ha Teddy, I forgot to laugh." Vern said dryly, before turning sideways, and placing a hand in front of her. "You guys, this is Jane, this is the girl who got us help when Ace's gang jumped us."

"Oh, this is the girl." The glasses wearing boy, Teddy she guessed, said while smiling. "She's pretty hot. Though, I think you can do better than Vern."

Jane's cheek turned red and even Vern had a light blush appearing on his face.

"A-Anyway," Vern began, "These are my friends. He's Teddy." The boy known as Teddy waved at her; he had blond hair, had thick rim glasses on his face, and wore a green shirt with pant pants and dog tags around his neck. "He's Gordie." Gordie nodded, he was rather skinny looking boy with floppy brown hair, large brown eyes, and wore a stripe shirt and blue jeans. "And here's Chris." The last boy was a more beefy looking kid with dark blond hair, blue eyes, and wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans.

Jane looked at Chris for a second and said, "Nice to meet you." She nodded.

"You too." Chris replied, than Jane turned to Vern.

"So, Vern, who were those guys that jump you all?" Jane asked, it had been niggling in the back of her head since she first saw Vern.

"Oh, those are the Cobras; they're the town's local hoods." Gordie told her. Jane's eyes widen about hearing that.

"What? Oh my gosh, how did you guys get mixed up with them?"

"We don't know," Vern answered her best he could, "We don't why they started picking on us. I don't think we ever did anything to them in the first place."

"Yeah, it also doesn't help that two of their members are Vern's and Chris' brothers." Teddy told her. Jane was surprised at hearing that.

"Wow, I guess you two must have pretty interesting home lives?" Jane said, looking from Vern to Chris.

"You have no idea." Chris said under his breath. Jane wondered what he meant by that, but decided not ask further since it appears to be a sensitive subject, plus she just met him.

"Anyway, it was nice meeting you guys, but I think I better get going." Jane told them as she was about to make her leave, when she felt a hand on her wrist.

"Aww, do you have to go?" Vern asked her, him being the one who grabbed her. "I really really wanted to do something nice for you as a thank you for what you did." Then Vern turned to his friends. "Hey, I was thinking of taking her to the tree house. You know, to hang out and stuff."

Teddy just stared at Vern like that was the stupidest thing he ever heard. "Vern, are you retarded? You don't go showing the H.Q. to civilians!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, no offense Jane, but our tree house is kinda private and we don't know you very well and…" Chris trailed off.

"No no, I understand." Jane said, putting a hand up. "You guys don't have to do anything."

"What about we all go for an ice cream?" Gordie suggested, and the others agreed.

"Well?" Vern asked her, the look on his face clearly wanting her to say yes.

"Sure, I love too." Jane answered.

* * *

So the five went out for ice cream and talked. Well, mostly Teddy, Chris, and Gordie talked with themselves; Vern was the only one who was paying any attention to Jane. They mostly made small talk about what was her favorite kind of candy and what did she think of Snagglepuss. Eventually, they all finished their ice creams and Jane left, waving goodbye at the boys.

Aside from Teddy every now and then teasing her and Vern about being lovebirds (Really, Jane would admit she thought Vern was kind of a cutie, well all of those boys were cuties in their own way), Jane would say she was changed very little from this whole event.

Eventually, the two weeks passed and it was time for Jane and her parents to return home. Jane took one last look out the window as their car drove pass the 'YOU ARE LEAVING CASTLE ROCK' sign and the 'COME BACK ANYTIME' sign before going into a comfortable sleep as life went on for Jane.

She never saw those four boys again, and that was okay with her, she had no reason too.

**The End.**


End file.
